The Ultimate Lifeform
by PackageHD
Summary: Shadow the Hedgehog finds himself back home, well, if living with Rouge is home. He will have to face some tough choices, what will happen when his past comes into question? Who will he trust, Doctor Eggman or Rouge, or maybe someone he would least expect! Follow Shadow on his journey as he faces challenges he never imagined, including falling for his partner! Contains Shadouge.
1. Chapter 1 - Full of loss

_Just some quick background before you get into reading! This story takes place right after the events of Sonic X, though if I do throw in any quotes from any games, I'll make sure to put them into correct context! This is my first story, so constructive criticism is more than welcomed, so please hang with me! Some chapters may be a little slower, but it's essential for the story I want to tell. With that being said I hope you enjoy The Ultimate Lifeform. - PackageHD_

 _oh, one more thing, I obviously don't own the rights to Sonic or any other characters in this story._

Chapter 1 - Full Of Loss

Sonic wobbled back into the Blue Typhoon, bruised and tired from what has just happened. The door opens, and he sees everyone, Chris, Cream, Cheese, Amy, Knuckles, Tails, Team Chaotix, and of course, Rouge. He tries to take one last step, but he collapses. Everyone rushes over, hoping the blue hedgehog wasn't giving out on them.

"Oh my God Sonic, are you okay?" gasped Amy. Tails then ordered everyone to take a step back and give him some room.

"Guys, I'm fine… really...:" Sonic finally said after a few seconds of silence. He glanced up and met eyes with Rouge.

"Wait, where's Shadow?" she asked worryingly.

Sonic lie still for a moment then let out a deep breath "I honestly don't know, Rouge. We were trying to stop the planet egg from exploding, and before I made my move, Shadow punched me." There was another few seconds before anyone spoke.

"Well why would he do that?" Rouge asked quietly.

"Well, even though me and Shadow never quite got along, I think he saved me." Sonic replied. He sat up and waved Rouge over, she then crouched down beside him. He looked at her for a moment, then grabbed her hand and placed something into it. She sat for a moment, her hand shaking, then she opened her hand. It was Shadow's rings. Her eyes darted back to sonic, then she felt tears begin to well up inside.

Her heart dropped, _he can't really be gone, can he?_ She thought to herself. She put them on, then told Sonic thanks before walking back to her room. When she entered, she immediately sat down at her desk. She then opened her drawer, and took out a journal. Nobody knew this, but Rouge really cared about Shadow. She opened the journal, her tears hitting the pages and she flipped through them, then she stopped.

The page read " _Today I convinced Eggman that I was part of his team, when I got aboard his ship, I was met by the usual robots, but then something caught my eye. A crimson red and ebony hedgehog, standing at the window, looking out into space. He said his name was Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog. Eggman said he didn't trust me enough to do anything on my own yet, so I was stuck with Shadow all day, and all I wanted was those Chaos Emeralds. Then the most unexpected thing happened, while I was off grabbing the Chaos Emeralds, I got trapped. I couldn't believe I let myself get trapped. Naturally I called Shadow to help. He said he was busy, and I thought I was gonna die right then and there, but a few seconds passed and a bright light appeared. It was Shadow, he grabbed me and yelled Chaos Control. When we got back I asked him, why save me? He replied he only came back for the emeralds, but I don't believe him."_

She let out a deep sigh. "We've come along way from that day haven't we hon." she said to herself as she touched his ring. She might not have had him right then and there, but just wearing them made her feel safer.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Mission

Chapter 2 - The Mission

Rouge sat on her couch, flipping from channel to channel when her phone rang. " _Must be work"_ she thought to herself. Of course, she was right.

"Hey Topaz, is there a mission? Oh really? Dr. Eggman is back in town? And you want me to steal something from him? Well what is it? Top Secret? C'mon Topaz, work with me a little here."

What happened next made Rouge almost drop her phone. "He's got six of the Chaos Emeralds? I'll be there right away!"

She took off, not knowing exactly what to expect when she arrived. As she flew over the city, she saw an oak tree in the park. To anyone else, this was just an oak tree, but not to Rouge.

*flashback* " _Hmmm, I wonder where that Shadow is now? Doesn't he know we got a mission to do?"_ She thought to herself.

She continued walking for some time before coming across the ebony hedgehog lying under a big oak tree.

"Wake up sleepy head, we got work to do!" She said playfully.

Shadow opened one eye, "Hmph" then closed it back.

"Okay mr. grumpy pants, what's wrong?"

He opened his eye again, then opened the other as he sat up. "Why do you care?" he said harshly, glaring deep into her emerald eyes. His eyes burned with hate, she could practically feel the heat coming off his body.

"Shads, we're partners, we've been working together for some time, and if somethings wrong then I gotta know, I can't have you mind clouded while we work, or else one of us could get hurt" she replied, sitting down next to the fiery hedgehog.

She put her hand on his shoulder "not to mention, we're friends, and I trust you Shadow." This sent shivers down his spine, but made him calm down a little.

"Well, I just don't understand why everyone hates me. I really couldn't care less, but they love the Faker, so what's wrong with me?" Rouge smirked, then rubbed his shoulder. "Hon, people fear power. You're the Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow. Show them you're not evil. Maria believed in you, and so do I."

He glanced up and almost smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stood up and crossed his arms. " Let's get going, we got a job to do" he said as he helped Rouge up. *end flashback*

She snapped out of it. " _It's been months, god I wish I could just see him one more time, so I could tell him how much of an impact he had."_ she was getting lost in her thoughts, and before she knew it, she arrived at Eggman's secret base. " _Time to focus up, I can't let my guard down in here, just gotta go in, grab those emeralds, and get out, piece of cake, right?"_ she put on a hoodie and a balaclava, then entered through an air duct. " _Jeez Egghead, have you heard of AC? It's so damn hot in here"_ she thought as she crawled through the air vent. She came to an opening and looked around " _Bingo."_ She spotted the terminal with the emeralds. Suddenly the building shook with unrelenting force.

She caught herself "I better get these emeralds and get out quick, sounds like I'm not the only one after them." she said to herself.

"And what do you think you're doing, thief?" a familiar voice froze her in her tracks.

"And what exactly do you think you're gonna do with those emeralds, they're dangerous ya know." The voice stated.

Rouge was shaken up, it couldn't be, could it? She turned slowly, and locked eyes with none other than Shadow himself.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Return

Chapter 3 - The Return

She couldn't believe her eyes. He stepped closer,

"Take your mask off!" he demanded. Rouge felt warm inside, she slid off her mask, and tears started to fall.

"Rouge?!" Shadow exclaimed. His eyes were huge.

She fell to her knees "Shadow…. I- I can't believe you're alive. Where have you been?" he walked over and picked her up off her knees, and sat there a moment before saying anything.

" _Why is she crying so much?"_ he wondered. "Of course I'm alive, I am the ultimate lifeform, remember?" He smirked. "After I caused chaos control, I was frozen in time, and if it weren't for Eggman, I would still be stuck there right now." He whipped the tears off her face, and she blushed.

"Shadow…" Rouge started to speak, but then she just pulled him in for a hug. He was shocked. " _What's her problem?"_ he wondered, and pulled away. She looked into his eyes, fiery as ever.

"What do you want with the emeralds, Rouge."

She frowned "Ya don't seem so happy to see me Shad, but I'm getting them for G.U.N."

He chuckled. "Still working for the president?" He walked over and grabbed the emeralds, then walked back over to the bat. She was still visibly shaken.

"Here." Shadow handed over five of the emeralds, keeping one for himself.

"Red always was your color Shad." Rouge smiled as he kept the red emerald for himself.

"C'mon, I already took care of Eggman, get out of here."

She was stunned "You're not coming with me?"

He paused, looked at her, then looked away. "I'll stop by Club Rouge later, I have to clear my head first." and before Rouge could get another word in, Shadow caused Chaos Control and vanished.

She stood for a second, then realized she was still wearing his rings. "I wonder if he wants these back." she said before escaping the base and returning to G.U.N. headquarters.

*Shadows POV* " _Hm, Rouge was acting funny, she said something about me dying? Is that what everyone thinks?"_ he thought to himself as he sat down under the big oak tree. He went to the one place he could clear his mind. This was the first time Shadow realized how much Rouge actually cared about him. " _I'd never seen her act this way before, she was, vulnerable?"_ He hated that word, it meant weakness. He laid back and closed his eyes. He slept for hours, regaining his energy. When he was awaken, he realized he needed to go see Rouge. He took off, " _I wonder if she's still upset?"_ he wondered as he arrived. He knocked, but the door slid open. "Rouge?" Shadow called out. His ears perked up, something wasn't right, Rouge wouldn't leave her door unlocked. He walked forward, towards the tv room. He looked around, nothing.

"Rouge? ROUGE!" he yelled, darting towards the kitchen. There she was, lying in a pool of blood, unconscious and beaten.

" _Dammit, I need to patch her up"_ Shadow picked her up and laid her on the couch, she opened her eyes.

"Shad, is that you?"

He cleaned the blood off her face, then looked into her bloodshot eyes.

"What happened, Rouge?"

"It was -" she started to pass out again.

" _Damn, I need to stitch her up."_ he got up and walked to the bathroom, he returned with a needle. He glanced at the bat, " _who would do this to her_ " he wondered to himself. He grabbed thread off the table, cleaned the wound, and began to stitch it up.

" _She took a hard hit to the head."_ he thought as he finished up the stitching. Just as he finished, she opened her eyes.

"Rouge, are you okay?" he actually sounded concerned.

"Yeah, Shad, I'm okay now." she grabbed his arm and squeezed it.

"Th- Thank you" she struggled to get the words out, she was exhausted. He looked deep into her emerald eyes

"Tell me who did this." he demanded.

"It was Knuckles." she finally answered.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Shadow yelled, his eyes lit up with rage and hate. His body was beaming again, Rouge could feel the heat coming off of him.

"Shad… no. Don't destroy your reputation over this."

"What reputation!" He was still beaming. Rouge grabbed his hand and pulled him down beside her, calming him almost instantly. She noticed this, and smiled.

"Shad, you saved the planet. Everyone knows you're a hero, they even know you saved sonic." He looked withdrawn.

"I didn't do it for sonic. It doesn't matter what my reputation is, how long has this been happening."

She sighed. "Shadow, you know he has a temper, plus it's kind of my fault. Let me explain." Shadow stood up, and nodded.

"I came home and told him I saw you, then I started crying because I was just so happy to see you again." she started to tear up again. Shadow sat down on the couch next to her

"I'm here, don't cry, keep going" he wiped the tears away and looked at her. She nodded.

"He hates when I talk to other guys or about other guys, especially you. We were so close, you know? I just told him how much I missed you, and he just started hitting me." Shadow was speechless. He looked down and noticed she was holding his hand, and he blushed.

"I'll be back, Rouge." He stood up and began to walk away, then stopped.

"Oh, and Rouge?"

"Yeah Shad?" Rouge sniffled.

"I missed you too."


	4. Chapter 4 - Revenge

Chapter 4 - Revenge

Shadows heart was beating out of his chest.

" _Why the hell would Knuckles do that?"_ he thought to himself.

" _I need to find him, sooner rather than later."_

He ran around what felt like the entire city, before he ran into a familiar face.

"Shadow? Is that really you?" Sonic called out.

" _Fuck. The last thing I need right now is the Faker getting in my way."_ Shadow thought to himself.

"Yeah, it's me, I don't really have time for chit-chat. Get out of my damn way." Shadow yelled. He was getting heated again, just looking at his rival made his insides boil.

Sonic tilted his head "What's the rush?" he said smirking.

"I'm looking for the echidna, and when I find him, he will suffer my wrath." Shadow was glowing, a red mist could be seen coming off his fur. The fire in his eyes grew every passing second.

"You know I can't let you kill him Shadow, he's one of us."

Shadow locked eyes with the blue hedgehog, then took a deep breath. "If you won't move, I'll move you myself. CHAOS SPEAR."

The bolt knocked sonic back, he wasn't expecting Shadow to actually attack him. Before he could even lift a finger, Shadow began unloading on the blue hedgehog. Sonic had fought Shadow before, but he'd never seen him this mad. It only lasted seconds, but poor Sonic looked as if he had been beaten all night.

"Next time, stay out of my way, Faker." Shadow claimed, standing with a leg on the blue hedgehog. He stepped over him, kicking him one last time before heading towards the master emerald. Sonic couldn't even muster the strength to lift his head…

Minutes passed, Shadow arrived at the master emerald, it had begun to rain. Knuckles, sitting on top of the stairs that led to the emerald, stood and glanced down at the figure in the dark.

"Need some company Sonic?" Knuckles chuckled.

Not a word.

"Hey, buddy? You okay down there?"

Still, nothing. Lightning lit up the sky, revealing Shadows red quills. Knuckles was frozen, the rain dripping off Shadow, his eyes beginning to flame up and light up the darkness. Lightning flashed again, and poof, Shadow had vanished.

"Wha- what the hell? I gotta stop drinking." Knuckles said to himself.

There was a loud crack, and before he knew it, Knuckles found himself flying down the stairs, landing head first in the mud. The rain fell harder. He gained himself for a moment then glanced up, Shadows glowing red eyes looking right at him.

"Holy shit." Knuckles breathed, and stood up.

"What's this about Shadow? You disappear for awhile and the first then you do when you get back is pick a fight with me? What's the big idea!?"

Shadow only stared, his eyes grew brighter, his quills began to light up, he was so angry he could have snapped Knuckles right there and nobody could've stopped him. His entire body was shaking from pure anger. The mist around shadow grew brighter as well.

"You… you have no idea how bad you just fucked up, Knuckles." Shadow clenched his fist.

Knuckles looked as if he were about to say something, then sucker punched the ebony hedgehog. Shadow rolled a few times before coming to a stop, he looked up, his eyes went from fiery orange to pure red. He began teleporting, beating Knuckles senseless.

"Shadow… p- p- please man. Stop." Knuckles cried out.

Shadow stopped for a split second, then picked him up by the throat.

"Did you stop when Rouge begged you to, you piece of shit?"

"That's what this is about? You got feeling for that whore -"

Before he could finish his sentence, Shadow's grip grew tighter and tighter around the echidna's neck. "How long have you been hurting her asshole? She trusted you, and you repay her by getting drunk and beating her, or lashing out when she talks to other men?"

Knuckles was turning purple, he couldn't even get a word out at this point.

"Stop, Shadow please!" Yelled a familiar voice. He let go and turned around to see none other than Rouge herself standing in the storm. Immediately, Shadow's anger level decreased. His eyes were no longer glowing red hot and he was no longer bloodthirsty looking at her.

"Rouge, what're you doing here?" Shadow asked, confused. "You should be home, getting rest."

"Shad, step away from him, you beat the hell out of him, he can't even walk for god sake! I get what he did was bad, but hon, don't kill him over it."

Shadow sat there for a moment, glaring at her, she wasn't even wearing a jacket in the rain. She held her arms crossed, she was shivering.

He looked down at Knuckles. "Ever touch her again, and I swear, even she won't be able to save you." He walked towards Rouge and took off his jacket and handed it to her.

"Put it on, you'll get sick and freeze to death out here. Let's get you home." He said as he grabbed her arm, she nodded, then he caused Chaos Control.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Recovery

Chapter 5 - Recovery

Rouge opened her eyes, they were back at Club Rouge. She looked over and shadow had collapsed.

"Shit, Shadow are you alright?" He didn't reply, he was unconscious. Then she realized, he didn't have his rings, he burned through his energy.

She dragged him towards the couch. " _Jeez he's heavier than he looks."_ She laid him down, then grabbed his shirt "He's gonna be freezing if I don't get these wet clothes off him" She said to herself as she slid the shirt off him. She stared for a minuted. " _Damn, he's ripped."_ she smirked as she studied him. He looked so peaceful, for once Shadow seemed relaxed, and it only took him getting worked up over her for it to happen. She blushed thinking about the fight that had just happened. " _Oh my god, he really cares about me."_

Just as the thought entered her head, shadow opened his eyes.

"Fuck, what happened?" he grunted.

"You passed out hon, try not to be such a hot head next time." She giggled, sliding his rings off he wrists.

"I think these belong to you."

Shadow was stunned. "You kept them? Even after you thought I died?"

"Yeah… it's the only thing I thought I had left of you, other than memories of course." She smiled at him, studying the look on the hedgehog's face. It seemed blank, he was so hard to read sometimes.

"Well, thanks." He muttered trying to sit up. "What the hell happened to my shirt?"

Rouge laughed "Shadow! I took it off, I didn't want you to freeze you know." She winked at him.

He smirked " Pretty sure that's what I said to you when you showed up with no jacket." He finally sat up and patted the couch beside him. "Sit." He demanded.

"No need to be so bossy hon." Rouge said as she sat down next to him. She glanced into his eyes, she could get lost in those eyes.

He put his hand on her shoulder "Thank you, for taking care of me."

She hugged him "I'll always be here for you Shad."

He felt his face begin to blush. " _She really has always had my back."_

He backed off the hug, and studied her, then laid back down.

Rouge stood up "I'm gonna shower, you don't have to sleep on the couch. I do have a guest room you know." She said, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, I'll go up in a bit." He kept his eyes shut.

She glanced at his body one last time, then headed upstairs to shower " _Hm, what I wouldn't do to lay next to that body every night. Jeez what am I saying, he's my best friend, my partner. I can't help but wonder how he thinks about me though…"_

Shadow waited for her to get into the shower, he sat up and went to the kitchen counter. He found his phone and shirt lying there. " _She wasn't lying, guess I'm shirtless for the night."_ He picked up his phone and ordered a pizza, then checked his messages. Same old same, just texts from his "friends" wanting to go out and do things. " _Don't these imbeciles realize I don't give a shit about anybody?"_ He froze " _Well, almost anybody."_ Rouge popped into his head immediately. Everytime he thought about her, his heart beat faster. " _What the hell is wrong with me? What is happening, I actually… care… about her."_ Shadow had always thought of her as an ally, and friend even, but he was feeling something more now. " _What is this sensation I'm feeling?"_ Shadow shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head. He put his phone on charge and went upstairs.

"Oh jeez Shadow if I knew you were coming up I would've thrown some clothes on." She blushed, standing in the hallway with a towel on.

Shadow also blushed, her curves were hard to miss in that towel. "Sorry, go ahead." Shadow walked past, trying not to stare.

"I'll come see you in a second, okay?" She smiled as he walked away. He entered his room and walked into the bathroom, looking into the mirror.

" _Smooth one, Shadow. Don't make it so damn obvious next time."_ He scolded himself for staring at her curves through the towel, but could she blame him? He walked out and laid down on the bed, stretching out and turning on the tv. There was a knock at the door.

"Its open"

"Hey there handsome." She walked over with the pizza he ordered and sat on the bed beside him.

"Shit, I was gonna pay for that and surprise you, guess I forgot all about it." Shadow said embarrassed.

She giggled "Shad, you've done enough for me today." She smiled and opened the box, grabbing a slice.

He also grabbed a slice. " _Damn, didn't even realize I was so empty."_ he thought to himself.

"Haha, slow down there Shad, the pizza isn't gonna run away from you." She said cracking up.

He just smiled, and continued to devour piece after piece of pizza. He glanced over at the window, rain was still falling.

"Shad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're back."

He smiled looking into those big emerald eyes.

"Me too, rouge."

They sat in silence for a minute, the Shadow blurted out

"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." They both blushed instantly. " _Fuck did I really just say that?"_

She smiled, the rubbed her hand on his cheek "I could get lost looking into your eyes, they speak volumes." She said, blushing harder.

Was this actually happening, Shadow being vulnerable, and open with someone?

Shadow smiled and laid back, looking over at the clock.

"Damn, it's 2 a.m. already?"

"Yeah, we should get some sleep." She said, grabbing the empty pizza box.

"Goodnight, Rouge." Shadow smiled.

She smiled back "Night, hon. Sleep tight." She winked and closed the door.

He sat there for a minute, then decided to watch a little tv before going to bed.

An hour later

The storm outside was getting worse, and lightning had just made the power go out. Shadow sat there, then he heard a scream.

"Rouge!" he yelled, running out his room and towards hers. He barged in.

"Oh thank god Shadow, the power went out and it scared the hell out of me."

He chuckled "I thought you were dying." He turned to walk out.

"Shad?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked back. "Yeah?"

"Can you… maybe stay in here with me tonight, you know, to protect me from the storm?"

He chuckled again "You're a big girl, but sure." He climbed into bed next to her.

She buried her head into his chest fur. "Shad, can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, what's up?" He asked as he put his arm around her.

"Don't ever leave again, please Shadow." she glanced up into his eyes.

"I promise, I'll never leave your side again." he said with a smirk.

She felt warm inside, then continued to cuddle into him.

"Rouge, I hope you know… I'll always be here to protect you."

She blushed, hoping he couldn't see it in the dark. "I know, thank you, Shad." She felt safe, but for the first time in a long time, it felt real. They lied there cuddling for hours, making small talk until she eventually fell asleep on him. Not long after he dozed off with her.


	6. Chapter 6 - A Turn Of Events

Chapter 6 - A Turn Of Events

Rouge slowly opened up her eyes. She looked around, no Shadow.

"Wonder where he's gone off to?" she said to herself, then got up and headed to the bathroom to clean up. " _I'm surprised he let me sleep in bed with him, maybe he's actually getting soft on me."_ She smiled at this thought. " _Me? Making Shadow softer? I don't think that's possible, he's so hard to read. I hope he's okay."_

*Shadows POV*

" _The city is so peaceful up here…"_ he thought to himself, arms crossed looking off the edge of the building. He sat down, looking at his phone. Missed call from Eggman? " _Shit, forgot about the doctor."_ he called him back.

"Hello?"

"It's me doctor, what do you need."

"Shadow, so good of you to finally call back, please, tell me what's the point of having a phone if DONT USE IT! Nevermind, I need to speak with you, in person."

"We have no reason to, doc."

"Oh Shadow, but we do, we can really help each other out you know."

Shadow paused. "I'm listening."

Eggman chuckled "Of course you are, I know you helped that bat take those emeralds off my hands, so why don't you be a good hedgehog and bring them back to me? I _promise_ it'll be worth while."

"What's in it for me doc."

"Hm, how about _Maria."_

Shadow almost dropped his phone. "Wha- don't play games with me doctor. What the hell are you talking about, she died over 50 years ago."

"Come see me Shadow, I have something for you, but bring those emeralds and the deal is off." Eggman hung up.

" _God dammit."_ Shadow couldn't believe what he just heard. " _She can't be alive, I saw her die. I can't take a chance, I have to find those emeralds."_ He paused in thought. He picked up his phone and dialed Rouge's number.

"Hey hon, miss me?" She said playfully.

"Not now Rouge, did you take the emeralds I gave you back to the gun HQ?"

She paused. "Uh… Yes? Why?"

Shadow wanted to tell her… but couldn't. "Rouge, do me a favor. Don't go to work today."

"Why Shad-" He ended the call.

" _I have to get those emeralds."_ He pulled out the red emerald and used chaos control.

*Rouges POV*

She sat there staring at her phone. " _Should I call topaz? Surely Shad won't…"_ She stopped. " _Shit.. he might be crazy enough to actually attack GUN."_ She was conflicted. She had to pick between someone she cared about and her job. " _What if he leaves again? He promised he wouldn't but.."_ a tear rolled down her face. " _Shit, I trust him, maybe too much, he just came back into my life, was he using me for something?"_ She didn't know what to do, she laid her phone on the counter and heard the doorbell ring. She walked downstairs and opened up the door, to her surprise, it was Bokkun.

"Hia Rouge, message from Doctor Eggman." Rouge grabbed the tablet from the robot.

"Rouge, do me a favor, me and you little friend Shadow have a deal. I have something that means everything to him, this means he will stop at nothing to get it back! BAHAHAHA! Anyways, do yourself a favor and stay away from him, we wouldn't want you to end up like poor Sonic or Knuckles now would we." The message ended with Eggman's hellish grin.

"Thanks Bokkun." She handed the tablet back and closed the door. " _Shit, what does Eggman have that Shadow want's that bad?"_ She ran up stairs and picked up the phone. 17 missed calls from the GUN HQ, and a text from Topaz. It read "Rouge, get your ass down here, we're under attack and we don't stand a chance, Sonic is nowhere to be found." Rouge dropped her phone and changed into something she can fight in, then headed out the door.


	7. Chapter 7 - Betrayed

Chapter 7 - Betrayed

" _I'm getting close."_ Shadow could feel the energy from the other chaos emeralds. He walked around the corner and saw Topaz along with multiple GUN robots.

"Wanna live?" Shadow growled.

"Give it up, you're not getting those emeralds.

He smirked. "Don't fool yourself, you haven't seen me so motivated… yet." He launched and started knocking the robots into the wall, bouncing from one to the next before landing and facing Topaz.

"One last chance, I'd hate to kill you, but know I won't hesitate." His eyes were beginning to flame. The mist also returned, and he could see the fright in Topaz's eyes.

"O- Over my dead body, hedgehog."

He frowned. "Have it your way." He hit her with a chaos spear, she collapsed, then he grabbed her pistol.

"You should've handed them over." he said, pressing the gun up to her forehead. He cocked the gun and was about to shoot when the gun was kicked out of his hand.

"Shadow, what in the _hell_ are you doing?" Rouge pleaded, now standing between them.

"Rouge… don't make me do this." The mist was fading, but the fire in his eye screamed how serious he was.

"Listen, I know you're doing this for Eggman. He has something you want, what is so important that you'd kill all these people to get those emeralds?" she held his hand out to him.

He thought about taking it, then he smacked it. "The doctor says he has Maria. I know it… it sounds crazy. You know she means the world to me, and nobody will stand in between me and her, not even _you_." He stared coldly into her eyes.

"I really don't wanna hurt you, Rouge. You've always cared about me, so do this for me."

Her heart sank, he was crazy. "Maria? She's dead Shad, listen, you saw it yourself."

He winced. "Rouge, my memory has been lost and altered so many times, I don't know what really happened." He clenched his fist. "Move. Now." He showed his fangs.

She took a step back, then moved over. He began to walk past her then she reached out to grab his shoulder. He turned and hit her in the stomach with unrelenting force. The wind instantly left her body. She glanced into his icy cold eyes one last time before everything went black.

"I told you to let me go." He leaned down and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry." he whispered. Then kicked Topaz in the head and knocked her out. He speared through the door and saw the emeralds. He hit a button on his watch. "Doctor, I have the emeralds, once I grab them I'll chaos control to you." He walked over and put them all into a bag, then held up his red emerald, and used chaos control again.

A bright light appeared on Eggman's ship. Shadow appeared and handed Eggman the bag. "I see you upgraded from that wack ass base you had." he smirked.

"Very funny Shadow, hand me the red one."

"Not so fast doc. Where's Maria."

Eggman sighed. "This way."

Shadow followed " _I don't sense a trap, or Maria…"_

"Doc, where are we going?"

"To meet someone who can take you to her."

Shadow was hesitant, something started to creep into his mind.

" _Shadow, it's me, Maria! Come find me!"_ Shadow froze, hearing her voice in his head took him off guard. He continued walking behind the doctor.

They entered a dark room, then the doc hit the lights.

"Well look who it is, if it isn't Shadow the Hedgehog."

Shadow stood there. "Wha- how do you know me?" he was stunned.

"Know you, heh, I know _everything_ about you shadow."

"Who… what are you?" Shadow was near speechless from what he was looking at.

"I've been called a lot of names, God, Destroyer of Worlds, but you can call me _Mephiles_."

* _Hey everyone, quick note. If you made it this far and there's no chapters after it's because I've written all of this in a two day span, I'm a college student with lots of free time, so between classes I tend to write. More will be coming soon, I promise! - PackageHD_


	8. Chapter 8 - Truth or Deception?

Chapter 8 - Truth or Deception?

Shadow couldn't believe his eyes, the glassy hedgehog looked a lot like him. " _Now I know how Sonic felt when I showed up."_ he thought to himself. Shadow studied the floating hedgehog, he could sense that they were more alike than what meets the eye. He felt the chaos energy in the room, he knew this Mephiles would be trouble.

"What is it you want with me, Mephiles?" Shadow said glaring at the doctor, then back at Mephiles.

"Hm, I simply want your employment, in exchange for your skills, I'll give you the _truth_ about your past, and of course, Maria." the glassy hedgehog had a smirk on his face that left Shadow uneasy.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Shadow said, walking towards Mephiles.

"Doctor, please give me and Shadow the room, we have much to discuss." With that being said, Eggman turned around and walked out. There was an awkward silence before the god answered.

"I'll show you, come here, Shadow." Mephiles said, reaching out for shadow to grab him. Reluctantly, Shadow grabbed his hand. "Close your eyes." Shadow did as obeyed, and as soon as the darkness came over him, a bright light began to appear. Within seconds, Maria stood before the two hedgehogs.

"No.. it can't be… Maria?" Shadow's jaw was on the floor, his eyes wider than ever. He reached his hand out to grab her.

"Of course Shadow, oh how I've missed you." She grabbed his hand, pulling Shadow in for a hug.

Tears began to drop from his eyes "Maria, I saw you die… how is this possible?" He glared into her shiny blue eyes, her smile made him feel different. For once, Shadow felt happy!

"You're right Shadow, I did die… but this man, Mephiles, he saved me. He can travel in time Shadow, he went back and saved me!"

Shadow glances back to look at Mephiles, only to find darkness, he turns around to see Maria has disappeared and Mephiles is now in front of him.

"I'm a man of my word, Shadow, I showed you that she was alive and safe." The glassy hedgehog said with a smirk. "Now, let's get to work shall we?" He reached his hand out for Shadow to shake.

Shadow shakes it, looking down. "I don't know how to thank you Mephiles, I'd do anything to bring her back."

Shadow opened his eyes, to find himself still shaking Mephiles hand.

"So, I'm guessing now that I've brought you five of the emeralds, not including the one I have, you want me to find the last one?" Shadow questioned, crossing his arms and waiting for a response.

"Yes, simple as that Shadow. Oh, and what do you know about this Sonic creature, he's a hedgehog like you, right?"

" _Like me? You're a hedgehog too ya know."_ he thought to himself before speaking. "He's a hedgehog, but he's not like me. He's fast, but not faster than me, he's strong, but not stronger than me, and he can't access his chaos abilities unless he has all seven emeralds." Shadow replied.

"Hm, the doctor was right about you Shadow. You are the better choice out of the two, and you are way more willing to help." Mephiles showed a wicked smile. "Together, you and me will run things Shadow, you have my word, help me and Maria will be all yours."

Shadow paused, thinking of his next move. "I think I know someone that can help me find the last emerald, Mephiles. How fast do you need it?"

"The sooner the better Shadow, but it doesn't have to be done today, nor tomorrow even. We have six already, we're doing better than I thought we would be this early, now, I'm guessing this person you're going to reach out to is Rouge?"

Shadow blushed then snapped out of it. "How do you know about Rouge?"

Mephiles laughed, then glanced into Shadow's glassy red eyes. "I told you, _I know_ _ **everything**_ _about you."_ He pointed Shadow off. "Go on, but be careful, you know she likes to play mind games."

With that, Shadow was off to Club Rouge.

Meanwhile… (Rouge's POV)

" _Damn, what happened?"_ she thought to herself as she woke up, her stomach was sore, she rubbed her hand along it, the pain reminding her of what Shadow had done. "I gotta get to Eggman somehow, I gotta stop Shadow and try and talk some sense into that hedgehog. With that, she flew away and headed towards Chris and Sonic's house. " _If anybody can help against Shadow, it'll be Sonic"_

She approached the door and knocked. No answer, but she heard footsteps walking towards the door, rather slowly. Finally the door creaked open.

"Jesus Sonic you look like shit, what happened to you?" Rouge examined the blue hedgehog, he had his quills wrapped up in bandages, along with his arm and both legs, she also noticed stitches along the side of his face.

"I ran into your boyfriend, Shadow. He wasn't too happy to see me." Sonic groaned, letting her in. They both walked over to the couch.

"You know he's not my boyfriend, Blue. Now I'm sorry about what Shadow did but that's why i'm here. Shadow is most likely working with Eggman again, and I can't stop him on my own. He came to GUN HQ and wanted the emeralds he helped me steal from Eggman. After a quick confrontation, he told me Eggman had Maria, and I told him he was lying, but Shadow wanted it to be true. He took the emeralds, Eggman has six of the seven again."

Sonic sat there taking it all in. "Well, I better warn Tails, he's the one who's got the last emerald."

"Well then we know who we need to protect, but can you do me a favor?" Rouge looked kinda lost, her ears went down.

Sonic put his hand on her shoulder. "Of course, anything for a friend." He said smiling.

"If it comes down to having to fight Shadow, can you, maybe let me talk to him first?" she felt sad, she didn't know what she'd even say to him if it came to that, but she wanted the chance, just in case.

"Of course, Rouge. It won't come to that, I won't let it." Sonic patted her shoulder and walked towards the hanger to find Tails.

" _Guess I should let them prepare whatever they need to do. I need a shower."_ Rouge sighed, then decided to head back to Club Rouge.


	9. Chapter 9 - True Feelings Emerge

Chapter 9 - True Feelings Emerge

 _*Quick note, last chapter bounced from shadow and rouge's POV, this chapter resumes with Shadows POV after he left Mephiles and Eggman to go to Club Rouge. Oh, and this is (so far) is the longest chapter I've written, so if you do enjoy please let me know!_

Shadow sat on Rouge's couch, waiting for her to come home. He was in deep thought, " _I wonder if she'll even talk to me after I fought her."_ a shed of guilt flooded over him, he loved Maria more than anything, but he hurt the only other person he cared about to get to her. He was actually starting to second guess himself when the door opened, Rouge walked in not even noticing him. He was sitting in the dark after all. He sat there for a minute, he was actually nervous to say anything. She flipped the light switched and froze.

"Sha- Shadow?" Her voice was breaking.

Shadow felt his heart sank, he hated he hurt her. "Rouge… come sit." He studied her, she was shaking, she was scared. She walked over and sat on the couch, as far as she could sit from him. Shadow grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. At first, she hesitated, then she gave into the ebony hedgehog.

"Look at me, Rouge." Shadow lifted her face with his hand, wiping the tears off her cheek.

She glared into his eyes, she could see how hurt he was. Shadow let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Rouge." He put his arm around her and pulled her in closer. "You know, i'm not the type to talk about my feelings, or to even talk a lot in general, but I figured if I should talk to anyone about anything, it should be you."

Rouge blushed, was Shadow opening up to her? She put her hand on his leg "Well, i'm listening tough guy." she said in a flirty tone.

Shadow looked deep into her emerald eyes, his heart was beating faster and faster. "Well, I just wanted you to know, I haven't been back long, but I never forgot what we went through together. I was gone for a while, Rouge." He took his glance off her, then pulled her a little closer and met her eyes again. "I really care about you, not a day went by where I didn't think about you. I really missed… you."

She was smiling from ear to ear. "Shad… you're the sweetest, ya know? I always knew you had a soft side deep down in there." She poked at his chest, then rubbed his chest fur "Now tell me what happened, after we fought."

He looked sad after she mentioned the fight. "Rouge, it's gonna sound crazy. I wouldn't lie though, you know that right?" he had a concerned look on his face.

Rouge put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "Shad, of course I know, now what's leaving you so conflicted?"

"Well, Eggman wasn't lying. Maria… she was there, well, kinda. There was this hedgehog there, he looked exactly like me, same stripes on his quills, just not the same color. He called himself a god, his name was Mephiles. Ever heard of him?"

"No, Shad, but a god? Isn't that kinda far fetched?" Rouge looked to make sure Shadow was being serious, and he was.

"He was floating, I could feel his chaos energy, he's definitely stronger than Sonic."

"Stronger than you too?" The bat asked, testing Shadow.

He smirked "No one is stronger than me, don't be foolish. He told me if I give him the seventh emerald i'd get Maria back… and this is where it gets messy."

"I'm listening Shad."

"He said me and him could rule together, assuming he meant me, him, and Eggman. You know the damage I can do as Super Shadow, if he's really a god, imagine what he could do."

"Shadow, I don't like this, you said you saw Maria?"

Shadow went quiet. "He told me to close my eyes… I grabbed his hand and there she was, I felt her Rouge, I _hugged_ her. It had to be real. Mephiles can travel through time, and Maria told me that's how she lived, he saved her."

There was silence between the two.

"Shad, you trust me, right?"

"More than I trust anyone else."

"Then hear me out, please." She sighed, placing a her hand on his. "This Mephiles guy, he sounds serious. If Maria is alive, we can get her back Shad, you don't have to help him take over an entire planet. Listen, you're **the ultimate lifeform!** Nobody can change that Shad, use your power to help people, not to help on power hungry hedgehog. You're the strongest person I've ever known. Please Shad, I know how you are when you have your mind set on something, but if this guy is as serious as you say, we don't stand a chance if he gets all the emeralds and you."

Shadow saw the concern and fear in her eyes. "I- I don't know. Rouge.. I'm scared, what if I help you, be _the good guy_ and Maria dies again? I only care about two fucking people, I lost her once and almost destroyed the world because of it, and if it wasn't for you talking me out of it then we'd all be dead. I get it, I see where you're coming from, but I can't lose her Rouge. You gotta understand, if it was you I'd do the exact same thing, I don't wanna have to be without Maria… or _you._ " He tried to whisper the last part, but Rouge definitely heard it, and Shadow knew it by the sheer redness of her cheeks.

"Shad, i'm just asking you to trust me. I promise, we can do the right thing and still get her back."

He was stuck, he didn't know what to do.

"I'll be back." He got up from the couch and walked upstairs. Rouge asked him where was he going, but he just ignored her. He headed for his guest room, then headed onto the balcony, looking out over the ocean. The sun was setting, it was beautiful. Shadow sat on the ledge, looking off at the horizon.

" _Now now Shadow, not thinking about jumping off the action plan so early are we?"_ a voice said in Shadow's head.

"Mephiles?"

" _The one and only, did you get my emerald yet?"_

"No."

" _Well chop to it, I'd hate for something to happen to that bat you seem to adore."_

"Threatening me Mephiles? You must not know what I'm capable of."

Silence.

"Shad, who were you talking to?" Rouge said peering out onto the balcony.

She startled him "Shit Rouge, don't scare me like that, and nobody, just thinking out loud."

She flew up beside him and sat down. "Sorry hon, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I know Maria means a lot to you, but Shad, you gotta be careful."

He glanced over at her, she was glaring off into the sunset, her eyes were glowing. " _Damn, she's actually breathtakingly beautiful."_

"You're beautiful." He said still looking over at her.

She blushed "Shad, you mean that?"

He blushed immediately " _Shit I can't believe I said that out loud."_

"Yeah.. I do."

She had a big smile, then she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"You're not so bad yourself, hot stuff." She grabbed his hand.

Shadow was mesmerized, almost drooling at her. He realized they were holding hands, then he scooted closer to her. "Promise you'll help me get her back?"

"Of course Shad, if it makes you happy then lets do it." she smiled, looking back at the sunset.

He forgot about all the bad in his life at that moment. All he could think about was her. He pulled her into his arms, and did something Rouge definitely didn't expect. He kissed her, but not a peck on the cheek, no, she could feel the passion in this kiss. It was deep, and neither of them wanted it to end. Finally, Shadow pulled away, and Rouge's eyes were lit with happiness.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted that." She blushed as she said it.

"I think I've got an idea" He laughed, grabbing her hand and heading back inside, he picked her up and laid her on the bed and began kissing her again. This time, Rouge took control, forcing Shadow onto his back and letting her have her way with him.

One thing led to another, and they hooked up. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't casual. It was almost like it was meant to happen. Later that night, they both fell asleep in each others arms. Little did they know, while they were too busy messing around, the world around them was in serious danger…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - The World Is A Little Darker

* _quick note, anytime Mephiles talks to Shadow in his head, it'll be_ _ **italicised and bold**_ _from now on in the story_

Shadow felt his eyelids slowly open. After lying in bed trying to remain awake, his eyes finally opened. He noticed Rouge was dug into his chest, her arms wrapped around him. " _I need to get up… but I don't wanna wake her."_ He didn't know what to do, but he didn't get to sit in thought long. " _ **I have to admit Shadow, when I read your thoughts yesterday while you talked to Maria, I didn't think you had the nerve to tell her how you feel, let alone SLEEP with her."**_

" _Get out of my head Mephiles"_

" _ **Oh Shadow, you don't realize the true extent to my powers do you? Guess I should show you."**_

The little bit of light that had lightened up the room from the window completely blacked out. It began to rain and storm outside. It was pitch black in the room, then Shadow saw a glowing pair of eyes at the end of the bed. He knew exactly who it was, Mephiles.

"Get out of here Mephiles."

" _ **Oh Shadow, this is my world now, you don't realize what's even happening do you?"**_

"What're you talking about?"

" _ **You might wanna focus on your mission instead of sleeping with the bat. Talk soon, Shadow."**_ Mephiles let out a sinister laugh and disappeared. The sun didn't rise again, the rain continued and the sky had a blue tint to it. He reached over and turned on the lamp, Rouge had been awake, her eyes full of fear.

"Shad, was that…?"

"Yeah, Rouge… that was Mephiles."

"Holy shit, he can talk to you in your head anytime he wants?"

"It seems so."

"I don't like this Shad."

He sat in thought, then sat up and got out of bed.

"Shad, where are you going?"

He paused at the door and turned back. "He's after me, not you. I'm gonna try and stay away from you, I can't risk losing you."

Her ears went down. "You can't just leave after last night." She was visibly frustrated.

Shadow held his head down. Part of him wanted to just walk out there, but the other part wanted to tell her the truth. He turned towards her "Rouge, I-" he stopped, and then shook his head and walked out.

Shadow found himself on top of Club Rouge, gazing into the city, the dark sky with the uneasy blue tint made Shadow shudder. " _Guess I should go find this last emerald_." He dashed off in a blink of an eye, skating as fast as he could, he skated for what felt like an eternity, then he stopped, finding himself at the park. He glanced at the oak tree he loved sitting under. His mind immediately went to Rouge. " _I'm so sorry Rouge. I wish… I could tell you how I really feel."_ He started walking towards the tree to gather himself when he saw Mephiles under the tree. Shadow was hesitant, but decided to go up to him anyway.

"Guess you knew I'd be here." Shadow said, laying down under the tree.

" _ **Of course, there's nothing I don't know."**_

"Yeah smart guy, why don't you go find the last emerald then?"

" _ **You really don't see it do you? You know, Eggman told me you were smart, but either he was wrong or you were blinded by something."**_

Shadow stood quickly, he began glowing, flame rising in his eyes.

"I suggest you be very careful with your next words, Mephiles."

" _ **Oh Shadow, you poor thing.. I have six emeralds, I went to see Tails last night while you were too busy sleeping around with the bat. In fact, I wonder if poor Tails is still breathing. I know sonic isn't."**_ Mephiles said with a wicked smile.

Shadow couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"So you waited for me to stop, to get this?" Shadow pulled out the red emerald.

" _ **Very observant Shadow. I suggest you hand it over before you end up like your blue brother. Unless, in fact, you want to die."**_

Shadow smirked. He handed over the emerald.

Mephiles took it and opened the bag he carried with him, dropping the emerald into the bag along with the other six.

" _ **Thank you for being so cooperative, and so you know, once you left that bat alone this morning, I strangled her right where you left her."**_ Mephiles said, cracking up.

Next thing he realized, the sky's tint changed from blue to red. The storm began to rage.

" _ **What are you doing?"**_

Shadow began to float, he let out a demonic laugh, then looked at Mephiles straight in the eyes. Shadows glassy red eyes had gone completely black, the black fur on Shadow had turned red, he slipped off his incubator bracelets. Shadow lands, still glaring into the eyes of Mephiles.

"You may know a lot about me, but nobody could prepare you for what you were about to endure. This was a true anomaly, super shadow should've gone into effect because of the seven emeralds, but this was something new… he had an animal deep inside him he kept caged up, and never let out… not until Mephiles brought Rouge into this.

" _ **You think you can stop a god?"**_

"Enough talk, you think you're a god? I'm made from the blood of _Black Doom._ I'm a god, and you WILL FEEL MY FULL POWER!" He screamed, flames flying off his body.

" _Rouge… you better not be dead."_

Shadow had enough. He wanted this to be over quick, he needed to get back and check on Rouge.

The rain was falling so hard it was near impossible to see. Shadow used chaos control and kicked Mephiles in the back of the head. While he was down, Shadow used chaos barrage, throwing hundreds of chaos spears at Mephiles. He ate most of them.

" _ **You're gonna have to do better than that."**_ he said, clearly out of breath.

"What's wrong god? Can't keep up? Wait till you feel this."

Shadow began to spindash, hitting Mephiles over and over, driving him into the mud, at one point driving him so deep into the earth that they couldn't go any further without the two of them feeling the effects. Shadow grabbed Mephiles by his glassy throat, carrying him back onto the surface.

"I AM SHADOW, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG. I THOUGHT YOU WERE A GOD."

No answer.

Shadow laid him down, still flaming red, eyes still pitch black.

"You were supposed to be a challenge, you maybe stood a chance, but you brought the one thing I love into this, you bastard. Regardless if you killed her or not, you die here."

Shadow picked him up, choking Mephiles. The glassy hedgehog struggled, trying to shapeshift and change form, but Shadow was so mad, so strong, that his chaos energy was cutting off Mephiles powers. Within seconds, Mephiles lifeless body flopped, Shadow flung his body into the ocean, then he chaos controlled to Club Rouge. He opened the door, finding Rouge sitting on the couch watching tv. The door startled her, she turned around and saw Shadow… completely red with black eyes.

"Shadow? I- is that you?" She didn't recognize him, the color scheme was new to her.

He walked up to her and hugged her, he didn't return to normal until she was in his arms.

"He… he told me he killed you." Shadow fell to his knees, he was exhausted. She followed him to his knees.

"Shad, i'm here, it's okay." She hugged him again.

"Rouge… I was so scared. I was so angry… I couldn't control myself, I've _never_ been that angry before. I- I killed him, Rouge."

Rouge only squeezed him tighter.

"I thought I lost you forever, and after this morning…"

"Hon, it's okay, seriously."

"Rouge, just listen." He pulled off the hug, and looked deep into those emerald eyes. He took a deep breath, then told her the truth.

"Rouge, I fucking love you."

She blushed, she pulled him back in.

"I love you too, Shad."

He pulled off and kissed her, then stood up and pulled her up with him.

"What now?"

"We go get Maria, and make sure Eggman is out of the way. I'll need your help Rouge."

"I've always got your back, Shad."

He studied her for a second, then handed her six of the emeralds "Hide these, keep a few if you want, but we can't keep all seven around right now."

"Of course, whatever you want. We're in this together now, right?" She gazed at him. He was smirking.

"Like always."

With that, Rouge set out to hide the emeralds while Shadow made a plan for Eggman.

 _Now, I know what you all are thinking, Mephiles can't be dead that easily, can he? I don't know, you'll have to keep reading to see if the god makes another appearance._


	11. Chapter 11 - A New Day (Finale)

Chapter 11 - A New Day

There was a cool breeze in the morning air. Shadow found himself standing on the tallest building in the city, gazing down at the world below him. Arms crossed, he thought to himself " _Today's the day Rouge and I confront Eggman… I just hope she's rested last thing I need is-"_ he sat for a moment wincing at his thoughts " _the last thing I need is to lose her too."_ he shuttered at the thought, though Shadow had been alone most of his life, he couldn't imagine being without Rouge. He let out a deep sigh, then he pulled out the red emerald and used chaos control, teleporting back to Club Rouge.

The bright light light up the room, Rouge saw Shadow appear and smirk.

"You ready to go see Egghead, hon?

Shadow grabbed her arm and nodded, then used chaos control again, this time they landed on Eggman's ship.

Rouge was about to fly off to look for him, but Shadow grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him. Her eyes met his.

"Rouge, please, be careful." Shadow said letting go of her arm.

She noticed the worry in his eyes. "Shad, it's just Eggman, I could take him blindfolded."

He smirked at her confidence, then waved her off.

She flew one direction, he skated the other.

It only took a few minutes for Shadow to stumble upon Eggman.

Shadow stood in the doorway, crossing his arms and leaning up against the door frame. He studied the doctor, he was working on a machine, it resembled a cannon.

Shadow cleared his throat, startling Eggman and making him drop the wrench he was using to work on the machine. He turned around to find the ebony hedgehog staring coldly at him.

"Well well, if it isn't my favorite hedgehog." Eggman said with a huge smile. "Did you bring the emeralds for Mephiles?"

Shadow just shook his head, and began walking towards the doctor. "Listen doc, we have a lot of history, we've worked together and fought countless times in the past. Working with someone like Mephiles though? That's low, even for you."

"Well Shadow, between us, he forced me to… look Shadow, you know I have nothing against you, most of the time you stay out of my way! It's that blasted Sonic I hate."

"Well Eggman, you must have been sleeping under a rock." Shadow said with a smirk. "Mephiles killed Sonic, I killed Mephiles."

Eggman grinned from ear to ear. "Oh Shadow your power never ceases to amaze me, thank you for taking care of Mephiles. So what did you come here for?"

"Well… you promised me Maria, remember?"

Eggman shook his head. "Oh Shadow… you really didn't think on this did you? Mephiles played with your mind, Maria has been dead for years Shadow, she never made it off the Ark."

Shadow felt defeated. "So, you… lied to me?" he growled at the doctor.

Rouge peered in the doorway and listened in on the conversation.

"Now Shadow, I had to lie, Mephiles would have killed me. Surely you can understand that can't you?"

Shadow couldn't believe he had gone through all that trouble over an illusion. "Doctor, believe it or not, I'm not mad. Mephiles was a monster. He wanted to destroy time itself."

"I'm glad you see it that way, Shadow. If you don't mind me asking, what now?" Eggman said scratching his head.

Shadow sat in thought for a moment, "Well, with no Sonic, this world could use a defender… but that's not my job. I don't know, doc, maybe Rouge and I will move away. Shadow and Eggman had no clue Rouge was listening in on the conversation, she blushed at the thought that Shadow was willing to just leave everything behind to be with her.

"Well Shadow, whatever you decide to do, I hope you won't get in the way of the Eggman Empire, you know, we could work together like old times, no Sonic around, just you, me, and Rouge, you can bring her along too." Eggman held out his hand for Shadow to shake it.

"Maybe one day doc, I don't care what you do to this planet. As long as you leave me and Rouge alone, you can run the planet for all I care."  
Eggman let out a evil laugh. "Well Shadow, I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised that you're willing to let me have my way for once, no catch? Other than leaving you and the bat alone, obviously."

Shadow sat there for a moment, then responded. "Yeah doc, but I'm keeping my emerald." He smirked at the doctor.

They shook hands. Shadow knew the doctor was evil, but he was too tired after fighting Mephiles to pick another fight, he just wanted to rest. He knew it would take Eggman time to even be able to take the planet over. In a way, Eggman was actually like a friend to Shadow. If it wasn't for the doctor, he would be in a cryogenic sleep chamber, or even frozen in time and space. He would never admit it, but the doctor had saved his life multiple times. In a way, Shadow felt like he owed him.

Shadow turned and began to walk away. "Until next time doctor." He looked back at Eggman and gave a slight smirk. "And there will be a next time."

Eggman let out a nervous laugh "On good times I hope! Now go on Shadow, I have work to do."

Shadow walked out into the hallway and turned right into Rouge, and she pulled him away.

"Shad, you can't seriously be considering letting him run the world." She said with a lost look.

He smirked and rubbed his hand on her cheek "Rouge, if Eggman ever becomes a real threat to this planet, I'll take care of it. Until then, I had other plans."

She held his hand and looked into his crimson eyes. "Like what?" she giggled.

He sat there holding her and swaying for a moment, then spoke "I'd tell you, but why would I when I can just show you?" he pulled out the emerald and used chaos control. They both appeared on the balcony at Club Rouge. He pointed out towards the horizon, before walking inside and coming back out with a tiny bag.

As she looked out into the water, she felt Shadow putting a necklace around her neck. He attached it, and gave her a little hand mirror.

"Oh my god! Shadow! I- I-... it's beautiful." She stuttered with happiness.

He let of a bigger smile than usual, then turned her around to look into his eyes.

"A beautiful necklace for a beautiful girl." His words brought tears of joy to her eyes.

"Dammit Shad!" She smiled, trying to hold back her tears. "When did you become such a sweetie." She rubbed the fur on his chest.

"Oh don't cry yet, the necklace is just the appetizer, you ready for the real thing?"

She shook with excitement "Shadow I swear if you got me that handbag I wanted I'm gonna slap you!" she exclaimed.

He gave a nervous sigh, then grabbed her hand. "Ya know, I've known you for a really long time. I've met a lot of good and bad people over the years. I've also never had someone put up with me as long as you have. I swear, some mornings I wake up and can't believe you're still here. Even on our worst days, you never left my side, even when you probably should've."

He wiped the tears off her cheek and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "So, I figured after everything we've been through, maybe we're destined to be together?"

She had a huge smile, she was close with Shadow, but he had never opened up like this.

"Remember when we first met Rouge, and you told me the day we met that Eggman was using me… your mission was to get information on me, a forgotten project. You picked helping me over your mission, you stayed with me when I finally left Eggman behind, you had my back against the Medarex, shit you've never not had my back." He smiled and got down on his knee. "So, why don't we do this forever? Why don't we always have each others back?" He pulled out a ring with a gorgeous diamond on it. "Rouge, I wanna be yours, only yours, forever. Will you marry me?"

She was now crying uncontrollably, yet she had the biggest smile, she fell to her knees and let Shadow slide the ringer on her finger. "Of course Shad, I can't imagine myself being with anyone else." She fell into his hug.

The locked eyes, then found themselves in a deep, passionate kiss. Neither wanted it to end, eventually they pulled away and just smiled at each other.

"I love you, Shad." she giggled, rubbing his chest fur.

"I love you too, Rouge." they embraced each other, gazing off into the ocean.

 _And that's it! I do have plans on doing a sequel to this, I'll likely bring Eggman back into it too. I also plan on doing my take on Shadow's origin story, not sure if it'll be shadrouge as well or if i'll just focus on Shadow. If you enjoyed, feel free to drop any feedback, and if you're interested in any sequel or even my take on Shadow's origin, feel free to follow me! More will be coming in the future, thanks for reading!_


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